going off my leg yield thread - video

cob&onion

cob&onion

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I have included 2 videos to give you an idea of her way of going and a few pics. She is improving daily but sometimes does overbend. The canter work is working progress, we have a few really nice moments of some uphill canter then it goes downhill and motor-bikey, but we are getting there!
I know i look down a bit and sometimes my reins are very long causing my hands to be too far back :o and my heels don't always stay down in the no-stirrup work but nobodys perfect right ;)
She does go better when i take my stirrups away, my legs are aching today!
My ultimate aim is to get to novice level but we need to work on prelim first and getting the right bend, the best canter etc
Be kind :D
sometimes its a bit wobbly (camera) but it was my 8yr daughter filming it :)
Uphill canter:

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Canter work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGpwVsvz0cM

No stirrups

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwQKIm6FrXY
 
I would say you main thing at the moment is the right bend. Does she bend while standing still? Not just her neck but doesn't seems to bend trough her body around your leg at all.
Also her outline looks slightly false as in not coming from behind but more from you hands. ( you can see her head shaking left to right in trot)
You may already have but if the bending is an issue I would have the osteo have a look at her.
Lovely looking mare! Good luck
 
Kikke said:
I would say you main thing at the moment is the right bend. Does she bend while standing still? Not just her neck but doesn't seems to bend trough her body around your leg at all.
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Yes that would be correct, she is very one sided, but miles better than what she was so at least shes getting better not worse . Have been doing spirals, serpentines and lots of circles and carrot stretches to help. She is very flexible with the carrot stretches and doesn't seem to have any problems bending right round both ways. Trying to introduce some lateral work as i said in my previous thread but finding it difficult.

Hoping to take up lessons with dressage trainer again in a few weeks, also in the pipe line to have her thoroughly checked out back wise. :)
 
Kikke said:
Also her outline looks slightly false as in not coming from behind but more from you hands. ( you can see her head shaking left to right in trot)
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Sometimes i do have to sponge the reins as a gentle reminder, sometimes we get moments of a true "outline" where she carries herself and powers behind (happening now much more often and managing to hold it too), i find she carries herself alot better when i loose the stirrups. Its all working progress. Lots to work on i know, but when she gets it right she feels lovely - plenty of time though, shes only 5 :)
 
She looks cracking!!

Canter work looks fairly balanced tbh but your trot work needs to move more actively forwards. Not big comments re bend etc given her age and training - suppleness is a common development area particularly for Cobs ;)

Dont beat yourself up about position - it is really quite good :) Your contact looks great.

Will go search put the original thread re. leg yielding, but it is a great exercise and I use it with Cob all the time (as does Elli with the WBs). I change the rein and turn in to a leg yield in walk and trot and do LY along the fenceline (think like shoulder in).

Hope that helps?
 
Looks a lot better than you were making out and lots of positives for the future so regular correct work will make all the difference. Only viewed canter video on small screen so hard to comment but looked to me if your reins could be a little shorter as at times you seem to be bracing your lower back and almost leaning back. Most envious of your school and mirrors!
 
Ferdinase514 said:
She looks cracking!!

Canter work looks fairly balanced tbh but your trot work needs to move more actively forwards. Not big comments re bend etc given her age and training - suppleness is a common development area particularly for Cobs ;)

Dont beat yourself up about position - it is really quite good :) Your contact looks great.

Will go search put the original thread re. leg yielding, but it is a great exercise and I use it with Cob all the time (as does Elli with the WBs). I change the rein and turn in to a leg yield in walk and trot and do LY along the fenceline (think like shoulder in).

Hope that helps?
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Thank you :)

Jnhuk said:
Looks a lot better than you were making out and lots of positives for the future so regular correct work will make all the difference. Only viewed canter video on small screen so hard to comment but looked to me if your reins could be a little shorter as at times you seem to be bracing your lower back and almost leaning back. Most envious of your school and mirrors!
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Yes I know my reins seem to get longer and longer all the time!
I think the other video is the better one.
Very lucky to have horses next door to the livery yard so able to hire the school and jumps whenever I want to :)
 
I've been having similar problems in canter with my ID mare. She's only been hacking for the last three years as she had a large thrombosis in her jugular vein. Now she is back working in the school she is not as balanced as she used to be and she needs to use her inside shoulder better through the corners. My instructor recommended that I do a lot of work in walk on small circles, teardrops and serpentines to build her flexibility up and that when I do canter to try and canter on a large circle and to make frequent transitions back to trot and up into canter again. Like your horse she starts off ok and then gets unbalanced and more on her forehand especially if I keep her on an outside track. My instructor said to bring her back to trot before this happens, reestablish a good balanced trot and then canter again. With time and as she strengthens and becomes more supple she should be able to canter better for longer each time. I haven't been well so haven't ridden for a few weeks but I started with just one 20m circle at a time and after a few sessions was able to keep a balanced canter for longer doing a 20m circle at one end of the arena, along the long side and then a 20m in the centre making sure she didn't stay straight for too long before going back on a circle.

I do a lot of work in shoulder in and plenty of short bursts of lateral work in walk and trot which is helping her balance. I also find if I have too much inside rein and she's not completely working into my outside hand she will wobble her head left to right but that has improved with shoulder in and leg yielding into my outside rein. She also has a tendency to ease the reins through my hands so I'm making a conscious effort to keep them short which makes the world of difference.

I found the videos better than I expected from your comments and I'm sure it won't be long before it all comes together as her suppleness improves.
 
Just to pick up a point above, one of the most useful exercises for straightness is to ride on the second track, a couple of feet to the inside of the rail and be really honest about it, especially in and out of corners, circles etc.

Quite often in the video, on the right rein, the horse is hanging on the left rein and has her head slightly towards the fence. (Counter position can be very useful for freeing up the shoulder but there the point is to be able to alternate bend and have the horse light in the inside hand.) If you're off the track then there is no fence to lean on and it should be easier to monitor straightness.
 
The little problems you are having shouldn't be so hard to fix. She looks very willing, as you say just a little green.
Your position is fairly good but there are 2 things I would work on. 1, your left rein is always shorter than your right and both reins tend to be too long. This is easy to put right! 2, you are drawing your knee up a little which is why you find it hard to keep your heels down and your lower leg in a good place to be able to use them effectively. This means you use your seat more which is not so helpful for her in the canter as she needs to pick her back up more. It may be that your saddle puts you in this position so you are unable to sit comfortably in the correct balance.
For her in the canter, I would start on a circle then go a short way straight then circle again as the balance goes. It is easier for them to get the inside hind under them on a circle and by the end of the long side her stride has got long and flat so then you hold her to keep her balance and drive with your seat which is pushing her longer and flatter. A vicious circle! I would also do some smaller circles so she does something about it herself.
For the trot, while she needs to go more strongly forward, at the moment she will just run onto her forehand. Again, you are helping her too much by holding her a little. As TarrSteps says, ride on the inside track, loops away from the track, smaller circles, transitions, etc. making sure you are on the line you choose. If she loses balance, half halt or make a transition then allow her to help herself. I don't mean no contact and possibly the weight in each rein is ok, just a more forward thinking hand so she looks for the contact from you rather than you acting as a 5th leg.
With the leg yielding, keep your inside leg at the girth and your outside one passive but just behind the girth. This is where your legs should be for every other movement so don't change the rules!! All the time her quarters are a little to the left so you are wanting to get her shoulders away from your right leg anyway. Start by turning up the centre line and riding on a line from D to H or G to F. When you have the direction use your inside leg to push her towards the track. Don't do this on the other rein as the shoulders escape to the right. You might find it easier to start by just riding up the track pushing her shoulders away from your right leg in the idea of a shoulder fore. Don't worry if you lose the outline to start with, concentrate on getting the body and hind legs where you want them. On the left rein, ride her with no bend or sometimes counter bend as her head is always left. This includes in the leg yield. Good luck.
 
I found it a little difficult to tell what was happening as the video was a little shaky.

Firstly, she's lovely.

I think you may be riding with too much pressure/contact all the time (it should feel like 2 one pound coins in each hand - which is pretty light) and you may do some little fiddles to keep her head down in the posture you want because she is not truely straight (head posture just comes automatically when the horse is off the leg and then straight throught their shoulders.)

My tip which encourages riders to see if their horses are truely 'straight' is to ask whether they can see their horses eye lashes equally either side of their bridle. On the right rein, you would only see her left eyelashes, as you already know.

I would also say, like the previous poster, that you ride with a stronger pressure in your left hand and inadvertintely 'turn' her head to the left because she feels a greater pull on the left. Consquently she takes counterflexion to the left, on the right rein. This issue may not present itself so obsviously on the left rein because she doesn't fall in [and is therefore, straighter] so your stronger pressure only results in her flexing to the left.

I would suggest that you put a bridle on a friend (not as weird as it sounds, promise!) over their shoulders so that it hangs down across their chest, so that the bit is along thier waist. You can then hold the reins from behind and aks your friend to move about. You can then pull back to ask for stop, etc. She will then tell you if you have UNEQUAL pressure on the reins.

You are behind the verticle a lot of the time and gripping rather than allowing your legs to hang and joints to be loose and your reins are therefore, a bit too long. I think leading back with long reins 'tips' her onto the forehand.

I couldn't really see, but I think you may slip in the saddle to the left also. My left hand is also my 'naughty' hand with a life of it's own and I have to be very aware of keeping central in the saddle as I tend to slip left too. When I'm driving in the car and come up behind horse/riders out hacking, you'd be surprised how many people are not central in the saddle and sit crooked.

I think if you can work on these, she will follow.
 
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Kikke said:
I would say you main thing at the moment is the right bend. Does she bend while standing still? Not just her neck but doesn't seems to bend trough her body around your leg at all.

You may already have but if the bending is an issue I would have the osteo have a look at her.
Lovely looking mare! Good luck
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TarrSteps said:
Quite often in the video, on the right rein, the horse is hanging on the left rein and has her head slightly towards the fence. (Counter position can be very useful for freeing up the shoulder but there the point is to be able to alternate bend and have the horse light in the inside hand.) If you're off the track then there is no fence to lean on and it should be easier to monitor straightness.
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Tonks said:
I think you may be riding with too much pressure/contact all the time (it should feel like 2 one pound coins in each hand - which is pretty light) and you may do some little fiddles to keep her head down in the posture you want because she is not truely straight (head posture just comes automatically when the horse is off the leg and then straight throught their shoulders.)

My tip which encourages riders to see if their horses are truely 'straight' is to ask whether they can see their horses eye lashes equally either side of their bridle. On the right rein, you would only see her left eyelashes, as you already know.

I would also say, like the previous poster, that you ride with a stronger pressure in your left hand and inadvertintely 'turn' her head to the left because she feels a greater pull on the left. Consquently she takes counterflexion to the left, on the right rein. This issue may not present itself so obsviously on the left rein because she doesn't fall in [and is therefore, straighter] so your stronger pressure only results in her flexing to the left.

You are behind the verticle a lot of the time and gripping rather than allowing your legs to hang and joints to be loose and your reins are therefore, a bit too long. I thin
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Just reflecting back on this post i did a few weeks back.
Cob is very heavy in the left hand in a snaffle, but better in a myler - however she still finds right bend difficult. I have had a trainer ride her and she is the same.

I have someone coming out to check her back over - speaking on the phone after me explaining everything she does she suggests schooling her for a run of 5 days to see if it improves and also lunging her on a run of days too. After having relevant checks done apart from her back she thinks its maybe a schooling issue and needs to be worked on more consistently - i was schooling once per week. Physio is due to come out end of jan and cant really say any more until she has checked the mare over. But she says in her experience it sounds like a schooling issue/saddle issue/rider not in balance.

I have called the bit bank and also had a chat. They have suggested a NS waterford showjumper elavater bit to stop her leaning on me and to help her find her own way...........i did try a rubber loose ring straight snaffle this morning, she was okay out hacking and eventually settled but still leaning in my left hand!

The NS bit seems quite harsh bt reading about it seems to make me think it maybe worth a trial?

Thoughts please :D
 
What a lovely fun little horse. Just one little tip from me, lift your chin out of your chest and look up. It is so easy bury your chin and look down at the crest of the horse. You will find when you lift your head and look up your horse will lighten the forehand.

Imagine having a bit of string attached to the top of your hat 'lifting' your head up and getting you sitting tall.
 
Keep going with the suppleness work before you try/spend too much money on bits. I find Cob terrible for leaning on the left rein but it is just his training and I have to be really on my own case to give the left rein and keep going with leg yields and shoulder in to "fix" the problem. Elli has left rein issues (might be right rein.....cant remember) with Fitz and has been through all manner of bits, but ultimately it come down to training and awareness/not hanging on to that rein.

Anyway, what I am trying to say is that in my experience, bits dont fix issues like this :)

:)
 
Ferdinase514 said:
Keep going with the suppleness work before you try/spend too much money on bits. I find Cob terrible for leaning on the left rein but it is just his training and I have to be really on my own case to give the left rein and keep going with leg yields and shoulder in to "fix" the problem. Elli has left rein issues (might be right rein.....cant remember) with Fitz and has been through all manner of bits, but ultimately it come down to training and awareness/not hanging on to that rein.

Anyway, what I am trying to say is that in my experience, bits dont fix issues like this :)

:)
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The physio said over the phone that its most likely a training issue. I suppose i want to rule everything out before pushing her through it. What bit does your cob go in? Also need to find a trainer who can work well with cobs :)
 
There was a beautiful cob on the cover of the BD magazine this month, you should find out who the rider/instructor is, because they have done a fab job, whoever they are :) Yours has fantastic movement, you should be able to do very well!!!
 
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Shorten your reins and hands forward.

Don't throw away the inside rein in upwards transitions, sit on your bum and keep your shoulders up and back - if you lean forward, you put her on her head.

Re: leaning - lots of give and retakes. Tiny ones, just a couple of strides and just with the inside hand at first. Remember to keep the leg on so the energy doesn't flop out the front door.

Use your seat into the halt and downwards transitions. In fact, doing little gear changes may be a good idea. Think slow with the rhythm, soft with the hands. Almost into walk, and then back up into trot.

Practice asking her to come lower and deeper, and then picking her up again. Encourage her to always be seeking the contact, not bracing in one position and really stretch that back out.

Try some turn on the forehands to introduce the idea of moving away from the leg.

Ride on the inside track!

Don't worry about being BTV at times; at this stage in training it's neither here nor there and definitely not something to get hung up on.

You look very smart and there's a lot to like :)
 
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